With the arrival of spring comes a new season of spring sports. It also means a new season of bumps, bruises, tears and sprains. More than 1.3 million kids went to the ER with sports injuries in 2012. That’s a lot of torn knee ligaments, sprained ankles, and busted heads.

Dr. Matthew Hall, UConn Health sports medicine specialist and director of the UConn Sports Concussion Program, tells NBC Connecticut that professional players spend weeks in spring training preparing for the season, but for many kids the spring sports season starts without any serious practice. Hall offers some tips on how to best avoid a trip to the emergency department this season.

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